NCJ Number
230303
Journal
Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 61 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2010 Pages: 68-92
Date Published
March 2010
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study looked at why general equivalency degree (GED) holders in the prison population read better than those in the regular household population.
Abstract
This study found that offenders in prison read more and watch less television than their counterparts in the regular household population. In addition, while Blacks in the general population generally score lower on literacy rates than their White counterparts, the literacy rates for incarcerated Blacks was the same as that for incarcerated Whites. Other findings included better literacy scores among incarcerated young inmates, those 16 to 24 years of age, prisoners with learning disabilities scoring as well as other prisoners, and prisoners who watched television reading as well as those prisoners who did not watch television. These findings all point to the importance of reading and the need to encourage education, especially in prisons, where previous studies have shown a positive link between education and recidivism. This study explores the results of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), a nationwide survey conducted in 2003 by the United States Department of Education that included a sample of the general population and a sample of Federal and State prisoners. The survey was conducted to assess the state of adult literacy in the United States. This current study conducted a literature review and an in-depth analysis of NAAL to discover possible explanations for the higher performance of prisoners on literacy tests. Tables and references